5 Displaced After Fire In South Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A young man is now out of the hospital after waking up to flames in the bedroom of his Minneapolis duplex. Sabastian Love escaped with his life, but he’s seen better days. As he puts it, it was fight or flight and he chose to get out of there.

After he was released from Hennepin County Medical Center Monday morning, Love returned to what used to be his bedroom. Hours earlier, Minneapolis firefighters knocked down the flames that destroyed two rooms at 2021 Stevens Ave. S.

Love sprung awake to fire in the modified porch where he’d been sleeping.

“The flames were a couple feet high at that point, and I considered putting it out,” Love said.

Instead of fighting the flames himself, he broke a window to escape. He has cuts all over his body and was treated with several stitches Monday at the hospital.

“Nothing too bad,” Love said.

After breaking out of the room, Love found himself on the roof of the first floor, considering jumping. Instead he made it back inside through a second-story window. Once inside, he helped his roommates to safety.

Love escaped with his computer and a guitar, but lost everything else.

“It’s just possessions, people are safe,” Love said. “I’m kind of screwed on medical bills.”

Love said he doesn’t have health insurance.

Fire investigators say the cause may have been a cigarette. Love admits he smokes in the house, but calls the fire a “freak accident.”

I live in the Stephen’s Square neigborhood and this one is actually about 7-8 blocks away and the only link I can tell between the buildings is that they are both older. One was an apartment building this one looks like it is a converted mansion. The first was electrical, there isn’t a cause listed for this one yet but Kare11 says it started on the second floor balcony.

17tth to the reported address in this article (just south of Franklin) is nothing like 7 to 8 blocks. It is three blocks. (I don’t live there now, but I did live in Stevens Square until recently… plus I can see it on a map). A small number of owners owns a good percentage of the apartment buildings in the area over several blocks, including in neighboring whittier (by the way, this address is in Whittier, not Stevens Square, IIRC). The first was indeed reported to be an electrical fire.

Exactly! He starts the fire, then says he went back to save everyone and become a hero and oh by the way, he lost everything and no health insurance. Guess who’s entitled now? I wouldn’t have the nerve to go on TV and ask for help like that!!!